1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to desktop receptacles, and, more particularly, to pop-up desktop receptacles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Desktop receptacles are commonly employed in or on work surfaces to provide data and power connections to electrical devices that are used on the work surface. Many varieties of desktop receptacle can be employed, such as pop-up receptacles. Pop-up receptacles allow a user to access the data and power connections of the desktop receptacle when needed, and then hide these connections to free up space on the work surface. One problem with many pop-up receptacles is that users often find the motion of the pop-up receptacle switching between exposed and recessed positions to be fairly rough, i.e., the motion does not feel as smooth as the user expects. To counteract the rough motion of the receptacle switching positions, dampers can be included in the receptacle, but this increases the cost of the receptacle. Further, the receptacle's components can be damaged due to wear or otherwise in a manner that does not allow the receptacle to fully switch between the exposed and recessed positions, which is aesthetically unappealing.
What is needed in the art is a desktop receptacle that can smoothly switch between the exposed and recessed positions and is less prone to wear than known receptacles.